Meryl Streep trashes Walt Disney

[moviefan12]

I just want to know what made her think, this was tge right time to go off on a triade like this. Its a shame as this controversy is taking the spotlight away from Emma Thompson and this was supposed to be Mrs Thompson's night

[disneyboy20022]

Man, what a

That was very clever.

I really hope this doesn't effect it's chance for getting some Oscar Nominations.....

[Dr Frankenollie]

Crikey, Meryl hit a nerve with some of you, didn't she? The fact is this - no one knows for certain what kind of man Walt was, but I think that the virulent defence many of you are giving is more to do with what you want to be true rather than what is true. Walt was human, flawed and, as someone stated, a product of his time. It's unfair to criticise the now unpleasant beliefs of those who lived half a century ago, yet it's undeniable that Walt probably did bear far more similarities with Meryl's depiction of him than the Uncle Walt image he promoted on television.

One more thing: Mr Arrow seemed to indicate that Song of the South was not racist. That's just plain wrong.

[TsWade2]

Man, what a

That was very clever.

I really hope this doesn't effect it's chance for getting some Oscar Nominations.....

Thank you. Thank you very much.

[Mr arrow]

Another great rebuttal by Floyd Norman. An African American who worked for Disney....

http://floydnormancom.squarespace.com/blog/

[Linden]

^Thanks for that link. I really don't understand why these rumours about Walt Disney never die, when nearly everyone was like that at the time.

[Escapay]

Crikey, Meryl hit a nerve with some of you, didn't she? The fact is this - no one knows for certain what kind of man Walt was, but I think that the virulent defence many of you are giving is more to do with what you want to be true rather than what is true. Walt was human, flawed and, as someone stated, a product of his time. It's unfair to criticise the now unpleasant beliefs of those who lived half a century ago, yet it's undeniable that Walt probably did bear far more similarities with Meryl's depiction of him than the Uncle Walt image he promoted on television.

Frankly, I don't see it as defending some sacrosanct image of Walt. He was a flawed man. Rather, it's about correcting the mistakes within Streep's apparent five-minute-search-on-Google claims about Walt. It's about ensuring that accurate information is out there instead of the stupid urban legends that crop up every so often. Nobody in the industry is shining a white light on a heavenly media figure. Rather, they're providing the substantive evidence to properly refute any of Streep's (or others') claims. They're doing the heavy lifting and actually giving a "me and this army" level of historical evidence and first-person accounts which show why many of the ridiculous claims are just that, ridiculous. It's not enough to say "Walt Disney was anti-Semite" or some other crackpot theory simply because of a few unsubstantiated claims across the years. One has to look at the whole context behind that claim before deciding whether or not it's true. Michael Barrier, Floyd Norman, Jim Korkis, Neal Gabler, Walt Disney Family Museum, etc. have done their fair share (perhaps more than they should), but apparently it's not enough for some.

Interview with Ward Kimball (1986) by Michael Barrier (posted August 2003)

Interview with Art Babbitt (1986) (posted October 2003)

Walt Disney: Prince or Toad? by Neal Gabler (November 22, 2009)

The Mickey Rooney-Mickey Mouse Myth by Jim Korkis (April 13, 2011)

Debunking The Myths: Crusader Rabbit and Walt Disney by Fred Patten (April 28, 2013)

Fact-Checking the Age-Old Rumors of Walt Disney’s Dark Side by Amanda Dobbins (December 11, 2013)

Sophie's Poor Choice by Floyd Norman (January 4, 2013)

In Defense of Walt Disney by The Walt Disney Family Museum (January 9, 2013)

Was Meryl Streep Correct in Calling Walt Disney a 'Bigot'? by Tim Appelo (January 9, 2013)

Fact-Checking Meryl Streep’s Disney-Bashing Speech by Amid Amidi (January 10, 2014)

Of course, if some want to believe what they want to believe, they're more than welcome to just read The L.A. Times, which give the same facts but put a different spin on them that only serves as an example of bad, unreliable journalism. And there's always Marc Eliot's brilliant piece of fiction, Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince.

Albert

[Disney's Divinity]

^Maybe you're right that he wasn't as bad as most people assume. It may just be that I don't care about Walt Disney in general, so I just assume he was like almost all people of his generation because I've never had an interest to read about him, personally. Unfortunately, that's probably why it's a pretty common belief, whether misguided or not.

I care more about Meryl Streep, tbh, which is the only reason I posted. Watching the entire forum blow a gasket at her is interesting though.

[Escapay]

I care more about Meryl Streep, tbh, which is the only reason I posted. Watching the entire forum blow a gasket at her is interesting though.

Don't get me wrong, I love Streep. I have no personal beef with her; I'm still going to see her movies and enjoy her performances. Rather, it's just puzzling that one would use such a high-profile status in Hollywood to continue to perpetuate disproved myths about a dead person. And for what? A personal grudge because she was passed over for the P.L. Travers part? A pot shot at Disney's Oscar bait so that her own (August: Osage County) will fare better? One article suggested that this was a calculated move by Streep and The Walt Disney Company to help paint Walt as a truly flawed man, to humanize him and bring him down from the pedestal that fans have put him one. But I don't believe that, simply because TWDC has done *everything* to ensure that he stays on that pedestal, and it would take more than poorly-timed, misguided comments from Streep to change that.

Overall, I'm just annoyed at the herd mentality of it all. "Streep finally said it aloud, so it must be true!" one camp would say. "LIES! Walt was a God! Streep is the devil!" the other camp would say. I'd rather people fully examine the claim and evidence for themselves than follow either camp so willingly based on one word alone.

Albert

[lord-of-sith]

Having read the speech, I think the claims were taken as a random attack in the middle of a speech, and while the comments seem a little unnecessary, it came off to me as Meryl's attempt to defend Emma against the controversy about the optimistic ending of SMB. It seemed like she wanted to make sure Emma got no blame for the untrue depiction of Traver's response to the movie.

In any event, everyone freak out about one misstep for a celebrity who is always one of the most well spoken figures in Hollywood and has been for 40 years.

[Dr Frankenollie]

I read a number of the articles you linked Escapay, and my perspective remains conflicted and uncertain. Regardless of whether or not Walt was a racist/sexist/antisemite/Nazi/monster, I think people miss out on the really loathsome qualities of Walt's person, qualities proven in fact - he was an anti-unionist McCarthyist.

But, I digress. Simply because the company likes to paint him as an independent, single-minded creator, his films are not works he individually created. The kind of man Walt was is mostly irrelevant when examining most of the films he produced, because generally they are closer to being the creations of people like the Nine Old Men, Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle, Bill Peet, the Sherman Brothers, etc.

[TsWade2]

How dare Meryl Streep think Walt Disney is a bad guy? Screw her!

[DisneyAnimation88]

But, I digress. Simply because the company likes to paint him as an independent, single-minded creator, his films are not works he individually created. The kind of man Walt was is mostly irrelevant when examining most of the films he produced, because generally they are closer to being the creations of people like the Nine Old Men, Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle, Bill Peet, the Sherman Brothers, etc.

Does it? I actually think that one of the best things about the Walt Disney Company is that it celebrates the contributions of many of those who helped to build the massive creative legacy that exists today. Ultimately Walt Disney was a single-minded creator who spearheaded the creation of the landmark productions that formed the foundations of the empire that is modern-day Disney: Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Fantasia, Disneyland, Walt Disney World. But nonetheless there is a multitude of material released by the company that celebrates the lives and careers of the Nine Old Men, John Hench, Mary Blair, the Imagineers who have created timeless Disney attractions over the decades, the Sherman Brothers and many, many others who have played enormous roles in the history of the Walt Disney Company.

[moviefan12]

The Walt Disney Family Museum has released an article online titled "In Defense of Walt Disney"

http://www.waltdisney.org/content/defense-walt-disney


And it looks as though, there is one Disney family member that agrees with Meryl Streep. Roy O. Disney's granddaughter.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/w ... ryl-670039

[Disney Duster]

Having read the speech, I think the claims were taken as a random attack in the middle of a speech, and while the comments seem a little unnecessary, it came off to me as Meryl's attempt to defend Emma against the controversy about the optimistic ending of SMB. It seemed like she wanted to make sure Emma got no blame for the untrue depiction of Traver's response to the movie.

PrincePhilipfan who knows so much about Disney never said the ending of Saving Mr. Banks or its depiction of P.L. Travers response to Disney's Mary Poppins was false! What?

[disneyprincess11]

Relative Says She Believes Walt Disney was Racist

he grandniece of Walt Disney is weighing in on Meryl Streep's recent comments about the entertainment mogul, saying she has no doubt that Disney was racist, anti-semitic and misogynistic.

During a recent speech given during an awards gala, Oscar-winner Streep referred to Walt Disney as a "gender bigot" and person who "supported an anti-Semitic industry lobbying group."

Walt Disney's grandniece Abigail Disney -- a filmmaker, scholar and social activist -- addressed Streep's comments last Friday on her Facebook page, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "If you are going to have mixed feelings about a family member (and we all do) take it from me, you really need to be as honest as possible about those feelings, or else you are going to lead yourself into many a blind alley in life!!" she wrote.

She continued her candid views about Walt Disney, who is the subject of the current film Saving Mr. Banks, starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson.

"... Anti-Semite? Check. Misogynist? OF COURSE!! Racist? C'mon he made a film (Jungle Book) about how you should stay 'with your own kind' at the height of the fight over segregation! As if the 'King of the Jungle' number wasn't proof enough!! How much more information do you need?" Abigail wrote. "But damn, he was hella good at making films and his work has made billions of people happy. There's no denying it," she added.

In another Facebook post, Abigail explained her position further. "I feel I have to clarify. I LOVED what Meryl Streep said. I know he was a man of his times and I can forgive him, but Saving Mr Banks was a brazen attempt by the company to make a saint out of the man. A devil he was not. Nor an angel. That's the point and if you read ALL her remarks you'll know that's exactly what she was getting at. She said exactly what I said about how in spite of it all, his vision was amazing and he brought joy to so many around the world. So I say Brava Meryl. I don't believe in bashing for bashing's sake but whenever we see a misplaced attempt at hagiography we need to speak our minds!"

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/relative-says- ... 00571.html

[thelittleursula]

As if the 'King of the Jungle' number wasn't proof enough!! How much more information do you need?" Abigail wrote.

I always thought that King Louie's song was about evolution and how the apes wanted to be like man, hence evolving.

I've reached the top and had to stop
And that's what botherin' me
I wanna be a man, mancub
And stroll right into town
And be just like the other men
I'm tired of monkeyin' around!


Oh, oobee doo
I wanna be like you
I wanna walk like you
Talk like you, too
You'll see it's true
An ape like me
Can learn to be human too

But I don't know how to make fire

Now don't try to kid me, mancub
I made a deal with you
What I desire is man's red fire
To make my dream come true
Give me the secret, mancub
Clue me what to do
Give me the power of man's red flower
So I can be like you


He wants to be human and he thinks that fire, because it's powerful, it's the key. So how is that racist ?

C'mon he made a film (Jungle Book) about how you should stay 'with your own kind'

BS !

The movie was about his animal- friends wanted to protect their human friend from Share Khan the tiger otherwise he would die; and he almost does many times throughout the movie. They want to take him back to the human home, where he'll be safe.


I'm sorry but just because you're related doesn't mean that you have a right to insult.

[DancingCrab]

People are something else. NEVER in my life while watching The Jungle Book did I take it as suggestion to keep races segregated. It's amazing how some people will fabricate such nonsense to try and prove their own social and political ideas. What a load of garbage.

[thedisneyspirit]

Rather, isn't it racist for the audience to think animals represent different human races? I wonder if these people can watch Planet of the Apes without screaming "RACISM!!! Black people are monkeys!"

The animals in the Jungle Book all seemed to live in peaceful harmony. Species hang out with their own species (ya know, just like real animals) and overall they got along well with other species. Everybody seemed to look up to Bagheera, for example. The only one who was left out of their society was Shere Khan, for valid reasons.

I'd say the only racist element would be the Jazz speaking monkeys, but eeh, I rather like them representing the evolution theory.

Nevermind the fact that Mowgli is not a white boy, and he leaves the Jungle, the past, to live in the village, civilization and the future. The story's more about advancing in life and evolution and our involvement in it than "keeping the races separated".

[Lnds500]

People are something else. NEVER in my life while watching The Jungle Book did I take it as suggestion to keep races segregated. It's amazing how some people will fabricate such nonsense to try and prove their own social and political ideas. What a load of garbage.

+1

"But it's a subconscious message, don't you get it!"

What a load of crap!